Flood drives vehicles to shops

Aberdeen facilities busy fixing cars with water damage

Aberdeen facilities busy fixing cars with water damage

May 08, 2007|By Angela Mettler, American News Writer

Local car repair facilities were bustling with flood-damaged vehicles Monday. “Right now it's all mechanical (problems),” said Jason Stellingwerf, service manager at Harr Motors. “In the future we're going to probably being seeing a lot more electrical (problems).” Owners of vehicles with water damage should call their car insurance companies, especially if the vehicle has been sitting on the street and is submerged, said Doug Ford, service manager at Pierson Ford-Lincoln-Mercury. “If it's (the water) covered up any electrical components...there's probably enough damage to total the vehicle,” he said. The biggest problems vehicles face from flooding are engine damage and electrical system failure, said Jim Weaver, service manager at Steven Lust Automotive. Weaver said if water gets into a vehicle's engine, it can cause irreparable damage. He said if someone is driving through water and the vehicle's engine stalls, the person should shut the vehicle off immediately and have it towed to a repair facility. He said if the vehicle can be fixed, the repair facility will change the vehicle's fluids - fuel, oil, transmission, power steering and brake fluid - to be sure the water is completely removed. He said water can also cause electric components to corrode, even months after the flood. However, if the water only reached the floorboards, there's a chance the vehicle can be saved, said Jeff Schick, service manager at the Aberdeen Chrysler Center. He said vehicle owners can use wet-dry shop vacuums to suck the water out of the upholstery, or take the vehicle to a repair facility and have it done there. “After you got it dried, then it wouldn't hurt to go back and shampoo it (the carpet),” he said.